Table Talk: ROMANS: WEEK 5
ROMANS: Part 1: THE GREAT REVELATION
This first movement of Romans (chapters 1–4) lays the foundation for understanding the gospel by revealing humanity’s deep need and God’s gracious solution. Paul begins with the good news that God has made a way to set things right (1:1–17), then unpacks the problem: all people, whether obviously sinful or outwardly religious, fall short of God’s perfect standard and stand under His judgment (1:18–3:20). But into this hopelessness, God reveals His righteousness through Jesus—offering justification as a gift, received by faith and not by works (3:21–31). To make it clear, Paul points to Abraham as the example of being made right with God through faith alone, showing that salvation has always been by trusting in God’s promise rather than human effort (4:1–25). Together, these chapters remind us that the gospel levels the ground for all and calls us to a faith that relies fully on God’s grace.
Spiritual Practice: CONFESSION
We believe that Jesus’ teaching is more than just knowledge for our minds (though it certainly includes that). It should transform us from within that flows outward into our actions. By practicing the ways of Jesus, we are being shaped into a people who look more and more like Him.
Confession may be good for the soul, but it can be very hard to do. We are invested in looking like good, moral people. After all, appearing good is one way of dealing with the notion that something is wrong with us. But this very appearance of goodness can be a way we defend ourselves against our sin. For when we can’t see our sin we have nothing to confess.
Every time we confess how we have missed the mark of God’s love and truth, we open ourselves up to the mending work of the cross. Jesus’ wounds hold true life-changing power. This is the shocking reality that confession can open up to us. Through confession and forgiveness we live into the truth of being God’s new creation! The old is gone. The new has come.”
Set aside some time for confession and self-examination. In the presence of God ask for light to pierce your defenses.Then ask yourself, Who have I injured recently through thoughtlessness, neglect, anger and so on?
As the Holy Spirit brings people to mind, confess your feelings about these people to God. Ask God to forgive you and if need be to give you grace to forgive them.
Write an apology; make a phone call or confess out loud in an attempt to put the relationship back on track.*Adapted from Adele Calhoun’s The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.
Prayer
You can pray this prayer daily during the sermon series, or use it as a closing for table conversations each week.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From the Book of Common Prayer
SERMON SUMMARY Paul concludes that all people, no matter their background, are under the power of sin and cannot be made right with God by simply following rules.
Passage: Romans 3:9-20
Conversation Starters
Kids
If you have “none” of something, how many do you have? (Zero.) The Bible says that none of the people in the world are perfect. There are zero people who do everything God’s way. Every person makes wrong choices. What are some wrong choices we make with our mouths? (Saying unkind things, lying, bragging.) What are some wrong choices we make with our hands? (Hitting, taking things from others, throwing things.) Even though we all make wrong choices, Jesus loves us more than we can imagine! He helps us learn to live God’s way more and more.
Students
Think about a list of rules or a contract. Rules tell us what's right and what's wrong, but can rules make us want to do what's right? What's the difference between being aware of sin and being free from its power?
Have you ever felt the pressure to prove you're "good enough" for your parents, friends, or God? If the Bible says you can't be made right by following rules, how does that change the way you approach that pressure?
Adults
The Bible says that rules (the Law) can't make us perfect; they only show us where we fail. Can you recall a personal experience where trying harder to meet a standard only made you more aware of your own inability to achieve it?
In our culture, we tend to categorize people as "good" or "bad,” and someone can quickly move from one category to the other based on something they say or do. (ie, cancel culture) How does the reality that everyone falls short (Romans 3:9) challenge that easy categorization? How should this perspective change the way you interact with people you might consider less moral than yourself? How should this change the way we react to someone else’s “moral failure”?
